Psych - HIATUS

עשרים

You and Sif are walking next to each other. You are tired from training, and she wanted to get you some armor. Now you're walking back to the sparring field, wearing your new armor to acclimate yourself to the feel of it. The entire time, you can't help but worry over what must happen soon. 

"You've been troubled all day. What is it?" Sif asks.

"Recurring dream where Asgard is attacked," you lie. "Sometimes my dreams are visions, sometimes not. It's hard to tell the difference. Can't help but worry something will happen." And then you see proof of what will happen momentarily. Thor and Jane, talking to Frigga. You sigh as you and Sif walk closer to them.

Before things can get awkward, an alarm starts blaring in the distance. "The prisons," Frigga states.

"Loki," Thor concludes immediately.

"Go," Frigga tells Thor and Sif. "I will look after them." Or you could tell me to take her to another planet, you think bitterly. Thor jumps off a balcony and flies to the palace and Sif commandeers a horse and rides off. "Just a small skirmish, probably."

You glance at Frigga as she leads you and Jane to the palace. You're still annoyed at her, but she is going to die soon unless something radically different happens. And if she doesn't die, Loki won't want revenge, so I don't know if he'd help Thor. Without his help, Thor won't be able to get off Asgard because Odin is a living nightmare. You sigh, knowing you should be kind to someone on her deathbed, not seeing a way out of this you can cause. 

Odin is lining up the Einherjar when you arrive. "Odin," Frigga says, running to him.

"Frigga," Odin acknowledges. When the men behind him slow, he turns around and shouts at them to go to the dungeons. "It's a skirmish. Nothing to fear."

"You've never been a very good liar." One: you literally just called it a skirmish. Two: he lied to Loki for over a thousand years. 

"Take them to your chambers," Odin directs. "I'll come for you when it's safe."

"You take care."

"Despite all I have survived, my queen still worries over me," Odin says, holding Frigga's cheek in his palm. 

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived," Frigga says as she and Odin turn away from each other. Frigga leads you and Jane away from the soldiers, grabbing a spare sword. "Listen to me now. I need you both to do everything I ask, no questions." She gives you a hard look during her last two words. 

"Yes, ma'am," Jane says, unsure of how to respond.

"Consider it done," you say, trying not to sound bitter. 

When the three of you are in Frigga's chambers, she starts giving you and Jane instructions. "If someone comes in here, take Jane as far away from here as you can while remaining on Asgard. I'll make illusions of the two of you. They'll replicate your movements from where you actually are. Nearly anyone who walks through that door will be none the wiser." 

"Alright, can-" you pause when you hear a crash. "What was that?" Dark elvish ships shooting at us, you answer yourself.

Frigga rushes to the window and looks outside. "This is no skirmish."

"That's literally what you told Odin five minutes ago."

"This is an orchestrated attack against Asgard."

"By who?" Jane asks.

"I don't know. I don't recognize these ships."

Fine, I'll help you out. You lift your hand to your forehead and touch your temple with your finger. "I'm sensing something. A war is the distant past, now renewed."

Frigga stares at Jane. "The dark elves. They want the Aether." She quickly recovers and turns back to you. "Stay on Asgard. You'll exhaust yourself going anywhere else, giving them the opportunity to take the Aether back without Asgard to protect it." 

You nod, listening to the air fight outside and watching as a force field surrounds the palace. Just for it to almost immediately fade away. The floor underneath you shakes, and you assume a ship just crashed into the palace. You and Jane sit next to each other, waiting for the dark elves to find her. You don't have to wait long. 

The door opens and a lone dark elf walks in. Malekith. You and Jane stand up and walk behind Frigga. You grab her wrist and focus on the cave system Frigga once had you teleport to. And as Frigga said, you can still see what is happening in her chambers. You see it in your mind while you can see your surroundings with your eyes. 

"Stand down, creature, and you may still survive this," Frigga threatens, sword drawn. Okay, it is weird she just called a sentient person a creature. 

"I have survived worse, woman."

"Who are you?" Frigga asks. 

"Malekith," you answer from behind Frigga.

"And I would have what is mine," he adds. 

"Run," you whisper to Jane.

"Why?"

"Maintain the illusion. It would make sense for you to run, and if you don't it's suspicious." After Jane nods subtly, you and her run behind some pillars on the end of the room opposite Malekith while he and Frigga fight. Once you are both hidden, you watch the fight play out in front of you. Frigga gains the advantage shortly, pressing her blade against Malekith's throat. But then walks in a second dark elf. Frigga tries to fight him off, but he knocks aside her sword and lifts her up by her throat effortlessly. 

With Frigga taken care of, Malekith walks towards the illusions of you and Jane. "You have taken something, child. Give it back." He reaches up to grab Jane, but her illusion fades once he touches her. Malekith turns to Frigga. "Witch!" he shouts angrily. "Where is the Aether?" Malekith asks you, correctly assuming you're an illusion as well.

"Sorry, I'm not from around here, and it seems I got a little lost. Couldn't tell you where I am even if I wanted," you lie. 

Malekith walks back to Frigga. "Where is it?" 

"I'll never tell you," Frigga answers.

"I believe you." 

The dark elf restraining Frigga slides his sword through her abdomen before dropping her to the ground. You cover your mouth to hold back a scream as blood seeps out onto the floor. Before Malekith can say anything, Thor screams as he runs into the room, shooting electricity at Malekith's face, scarring it. Malekith stumbles to the ground, probably in extreme pain. Thor throws Mjolnir at him, knocking him and the other dark elf off the balcony. He throws it again as the dark elf ship catches them and flies off, but it's too late. 

You reach out your hand for Jane. "C'mon. Thor needs us."